The use of closure devices for fastening storage containers, including plastic bags, is generally known. Furthermore, the manufacture of closure devices made of plastic materials is generally known to those skilled in the art, as demonstrated by the numerous patents in this area.
A particularly well-known use for closure devices is in connection with flexible storage containers, such as plastic bags. In some instances, the closure device and the associated container are formed from thermoplastic materials, and the closure device and the sidewalls of the container are integrally formed by extrusion as a single piece. Alternatively, the closure device and sidewalls of the container may be formed as separate pieces and then connected by heat sealing or any other suitable connecting process. In either event, such closure devices are particularly useful in providing a closure means for retaining matter within the bag.
Conventional closure devices typically utilize mating fastening strips or closure elements, which are used to selectively seal the bag. A slider may be provided for use in opening and closing the fastening strips. Some of these sliders include a separator. When the slider is moved in the appropriate direction, the separator divides the fastening strips and opens the bag.
One of the difficulties involved in providing a slider with a separator is the tendency of the separator to force the deocclusion of the fastening strips at the closing end even after the container has been occluded. This situation is especially problematic if a full-length separator is used. With a full-length separator, the separator extends through the closure elements and thus a gap exists in the fastening strips wherein they are not occluded. In addition, the separator may force the deocclusion of the surrounding area.
Furthermore, it is often difficult for the user to determine that the container has been fully occluded. Specifically, the user may not be able to determine that the slider has reached the end position when the user is occluding the fastening strips.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a container that is closable and sealable by means of a slider that includes a full length separator. The present invention would also provide an indication that the container has been fully occluded.